*Note this story is in Tagalog

July 17, 1961, ganap na ala-una ng hapon, nawala ang isang grupo ng mga kabataan at mga guro sa Orang National Park. Masusi ang paggalugad ng mga Ranger sa lugar na umabot nang ilang oras bago mahinatnan ang nangyari sa nawawalang pangkat.

Ang sana ay masaya at ordinaryong field trip, at paggawa ng sanaysay sa naging karanasan ay nauwi sa malagim na trahedya.

Tatlong nakatatanda ang nagbabantay sa pangkat ng mga kabataan. Unang nakita ng mga Ranger ang katawan ng isa sa mga guro. Ayon sa pagsusuri, marahil pananakal ang ikinamatay ng biktima. Hindi pa natutukoy ang sanhi nito ngunit may katibayan ng matinding pananakal sa kanyang leeg at galos mula rito. Walang tinamong pinsala ang ibang bahagi ng katawan nito. Tila namatay din ang guro sa pagitan ng ilang minuto.

Sa mas mabusising pagsisiyasat, nakita ang mga malalambot na hibla ng buhok sa leeg ng biktima na magsisilbing palatandaang iniwan ng salarin sa iba pang biktima.

Natagpuan ang lahat ng mga biktima sa iisang lugar, sa kakahuyan na puno ng *bagras. Bakas sa bawat biktima ang pinsalang tinamo ng unang katawan na nakita sa imbestigasyon. Ang lahat ng mga biktima ay mayroong pahiwatig ng pagkabigti. At sa lahat ng katawan, muling nakita ang mga malalambot na hibla ng buhok sa kanilang leeg. Ang mga kabataang biktima ay natagpuang may mga bali at galos ngunit natamo matapos silang mamatay. Batay sa autopsya, minuto lamang ang pagitan ng pagkamatay ng mga biktima.

Limang batang babae, siyam na batang lalaki, at tatlong babaeng guro. 17 na buhay ang naputol sa kakahuyan ng bagras.

Habang nagpapatuloy ang imbestigasyon, isinara ang liwasan at matiyagang sinuri ang bawat papalabas na sasakyan. Ngunit sa kabila nito, hindi natagpuan ang kagamitan, o sa halip, bahagi ng katawan na ginamit sa pagpaslang. Wala sa mga bumisita sa liwasan ang tumugma sa mga hibla ng buhok na natagpuan sa mga biktima.

Hanggang sa ngayon, nananatiling bukas at hindi nalulutas pagkamatay ng grupo.

*Bagras – rainbow eucalyptus

=—————————————=

English Version

Case # KGMJ4852

The children went missing July 17, 1961 at about 1pm. Rangers searched the Orang National Park for hours before they discovered what had happened to them.

It was supposed to be a routine field trip, a bunch of grade schoolers and their teachers going through a park and making papers about it after. The children were lead by 3 chaperons.

The first body was of one of the teachers, she looked like she had died from strangulation. The cause was unknown, but there was evidence of violent compression on the neck as well as presence of bruising. It seemed that death was within minutes with no disfiguring physical findings. Strands of soft hair were found on the victims neck, mirroring later findings.

The rest of the victims were found all in the same place, a rainbow eucalyptus grove. Each victim had the same marks as the first body and all showing signs of strangulation, with the presence of the hair on their necks. The child victims show fractures and bruising that were found to be postmortem. Autopsy showed the times of death of all the victims were within minutes of each other.

In total there were 17 victims. 9 boys, 5 girls and 3 female teachers.

The park was put on lockdown and all exiting vehicles were searched but nothing was ever found that would match the presumed murder weapon. No hairs that matched the ones found were present on any of the other park visitors.

The case remains unsolved to this day.

————————–————————–———————

*Tagalog is an Austronesian language spoken as a first language by a quarter of the population of the Philippines and as a second language by the majority. Its standardized form, officially named Filipino, is the national language of the Philippines, and is one of two official languages alongside English.

Written by Karl Gaverza

Translation by Mathew Juganas
Copyright © Karl Gaverza

Translation Copyright © Mathew Juganas

Story inspired by Ikugan entry in Creatures of Philippine Lower Mythology. Ramos. 1971.

Ikugan Illustration by Leandro Geniston from Aklat ng mga Anito
FB: That Guy With A Pen

*Note this story is in Tagalog

Noon unang panahon, ang isla ng Negros ay pinamumunuan ng isang mapayapa’t mabuting haring nagngangalang Laon.

Isang araw, bumuhos ang napakalakas na ulan. Umapaw ang mga ilog, at di kalauna’y bumaha nang abot-leeg. Lumapit ang mga tao sa kanilang hari upang humingi ng tulong.

Nagpatawag ng pagpupulong si Haring Laon. Iminungkahi niyang gumawa sila ng bundok ng lupa na di matitinag o malulubog ng anumang baha. Sumigaw ang mga tao, “Wala tayong kagamitan!” Iwinagayway ng hari ang kanyang panyo. Mula sa kawalan ay lumitaw ang pala at asarol. Hindi pa rin nakontento ang mga tao. “Paano tayo gagawa ng bundok nang walang mga bato?” Pumadyak si Haring Laon at muli ay lumitaw ang mga bato.

Nagtulung-tulong ang mga tao upang makabuo ng bundok na umabot nang anim na libong talampakan ang taas. Doon sila nanatili hanggang sa humupa ang baha.

Tila mapaya ang lahat hanggang sa isang umaga nang magising ang hari sa isang kaguluhan. Isang higanteng ahas na may pitong ulo ang papalapit sa bayan. Takot na takot ang mga tao sa pulang mga mata at umuusok nitong ilong. Sa gabi, bumubuga ng apoy ay ahas na siyang pumapatay sa mga tanim at hayop sa bayan.

Nauubos na ang pag-asa ng mga tao hanggang sa isang araw ay dumating ang isang binatang nagngangalang Kan. Sinabi niya kay Haring Laon na papatayin niya ang ahas. Tuwang tuwa naman ang hari sa pangakong ito ni Kan.

Sinabi ni Haring Laon na bibigyan niya ng pabuyang kayamanan si Kan kung matatalo niya ang ahas. Ipinangako din ni Haring Laon ang kamay ng kanyang anak na dalaga upang ipakasal kay Kan.

Si Kan ay hindi ordinaryong tao. Alam niya ang wika ng mga hayop at ibon. Nang dumating ang araw ng sagupaan, dumulog si Kan sa mga ito upang tulungan siya. Kinagat ng mga hayop ang katawan ng ahas at tinuka naman ng mga ibon ang mga mata nito. Nang nalingat ang ahas ay pinutol ni Kan ang pitong ulo nito.

Inihandog ni Kan ang pitong ulo ng ahas kay Haring Laon. Ayon sa kanyang pangako, pinaulanan ng kayamanan si Kan at ipinakasal sa kanya ang anak na dalaga ng hari.

Noong mamatay si Haring Laon, pinalitan siya ni Kan bilang hari ng bayan. Ang bundok na ipinatayo ni Haring Laon ay nananatili pa rin, at tinawag itong Kanlaon bilang pag-alala sa kabayanihan ng binata at kabutihan ng hari.

“At dito natin tatapusin ang kwento.”

Isinara ni Lola Anding ang libro at pinanood ang kanyang mga apo hanggang sa makatulog sila. Ang paborito niyang si Rhai ay laging nagtatanong. Sa yari niya ay magiging iskolar ito balang araw. Umasa si Lola Anding na abutan niya pa ang araw na iyon.

Nagnilay-nilay siya sa istoryang ikinuwento niya sa mga bata. Ang alamat ng Bundok Kanlaon ay isang nakahahangang kwento! Isang binatang nakikipaglaban sa mga higanteng ahas, isang haring may taglay na mahika, ang kanyang bayan na kayang magtayo ng bundok, mga hayop at ibon na tumutulong sa pagpuksa ng kalaban—lahat nang ito’y nagbigay ng kinang sa mga mata ng kanyang mga apo.

Inisip niya kung anong aral ang napulot ng bawat bata sa kwento. Si Rhai, siyempre, ay ginambala ang kanyang pagbabasa upang magtanong. “Bakit may kakaibang kapangyarihan ang hari? Bakit kaya ni Kan ang makipag-usap sa mga hayop? Gaano katagal binuo ng mga tao ang bundok?”

Ang kanyang katalinuhan ay maliwanag sa kanyang mga tanong. Inisip ni Lola Anding kung mapupunan ba ni Rhai ng kanyang imahinasyon ang sarili niyang mga tanong.

Si Faye naman ay natakot sa kwento. Yakap-yakap niya ang kanyang laruang buwaya habang inaarte ni Lola Anding ang pagpatay ni Kan sa ahas. Kaawa-awang bata. Gusto niya lang namang maging magkaibigan ang lahat. “Kung kayang makipag-usap ni Kan sa mga hayop, bakit hindi na lamang niya kinausap ang ahas upang paalisin ito?” tanong ni Faye.

Sinagot naman siya ni Fernando, “Ang ahas ay masama at dapat lamang siyang turuan ng leksyon!” Iwinasiwas ni Fernando ang kanyang laruang espada at napabuntong-hininga na lamang si Lola Anding. Isang araw ay makakasakit ang batang ito at ang laruan niya. Ang simpleng pag-iisip ni Fernando ay isang hiwaga. Inisip ni Lola Anding kung gaano katagal makikita ni Fernando ang mundo mula sa inosente niyang mga mata. Napailing na lamang si Lola Anding, “Marapat lamang sa mga bata ang kanilang kamusmusan,” bulong niya sa kanyang sarili.

Kinumutan niya ang mga bata at isa-isang hinalikan sa noo. Sa kanilang mga panaginip ay haharapin nila ang kani-kanilang bersyon ng ahas—o sa kaso ni Faye ay makipagkaibigan sa kanila.

Ngumiti si Lola Anding. Naalala niya ang unang beses na narinig niya ang alamat mula sa kanyang lolo. Noong mga panahong iyon ay walang ibang pagkakaabalahan kaya’t sabik na sabik siya sa mga kwentong ito.

At ano naman ang nakuha niya mula sa mga ito?

“Sa buhay ay marami kang haharaping mga ahas, at matatalo mo sila sa pamamagitan ng iyong sariling kakayahan. Gamitin mo ang anumang tinataglay mo sa pagharap sa pagsubok at ika’y gagantimpalaan sa huli.”

Pinanghawakan ni Lola Anding ang aral na ito at hindi kailanman kinalimutan kung ano ang kanyang ipinaglalaban.

At sulit nga ba ito?

Muli niyang tiningnan ang natutulog niyang mga apo at siya’y tumango.

“Oo naman,” bulong niya sa kanyang sarili.

=———————————–=

English Version

Long ago, the island of Negros was ruled by a peaceful and kind-hearted king by the name of Laon.

One day heavy rains fell. The river overflowed and as time went on the water became neck-deep. The people went to their king to ask for aid.

Laon called for a meeting. He said that they should build a mound of earth that would overcome any flood. The people shouted, “We have no tools!” and the king waved his handkerchief and a spade and heavy hoe appeared. Still there was discontent. “How can we build this mound without stones?!” and Laon stomped his feet and stones magically appeared.

Together the people built a mound that reached six thousand feet above sea level. It was there that they took refuge until the water went away.

Everything seemed to be alright until one morning a great commotion woke the king from his sleep. A giant serpent with seven heads was approaching the village. Its red eyes and smoking nose frightened the villagers. At night, the snake would breathe fire damaging crops and killing the animals around the village.

It seemed impossible to challenge the serpent until one day a young man named Kan appeared. He told king Laon that he would kill the snake and the king was glad.

Laon said that he would reward Kan with riches and the hand of his beautiful daughter if Kan was successful in ridding the village of the serpent.

Kan was no ordinary man. He knew the languages of the birds and the beasts. And when it came time to fight the serpent he called on them for aid. The beasts bit the serpent’s body and the birds pecked its eyes. They gave Kan enough of an opening and the youth sliced off the serpent’s heads.

With the snake dead, Kan presented the seven heads to king Laon. There he was showered with riches and married the daughter of the king.

When king Laon died Kan became the king of the tribe. The mound that saved the villagers from the flood remains, called Kanlaon in memory of the brave youth and the kind king.

“And there we end our story.”

Loala Anding closed the book and watched her grandchildren fall asleep. Rhai was her favorite, always asking questions. He would probably be a scholar in the future. Lola Anding hoped that she would live to see that.

She reflected on the tale she told the children. The legend of Mount Kanlaon, such a romantic story! A brave youth fighting off giant serpents, a magical king and his village building a mountain, birds and beasts helping to fight off evil, all these things made her grandchildren’s eyes light up with wonder.
She wondered what each child would take from the story.

Rhai, of course, interrupted her a few times and asked her why things were the way they were. “Why did the king have magic?” “Why was Kan able to speak the languages of the animals?” “How long did the people take to build the mound?”
His inquisitive spirit was so evident in his questions, she wondered if he would fill in the blanks with his own imagination.

Now Faye was afraid of the story, she clutched her stuffed crocodile tight while Lola acted out the part of cutting up the serpent’s heads. Poor girl, she just wanted everyone to be friends. She asked, “If Kan could speak to animals, why couldn’t he speak to the serpent to go and leave everyone alone?”

Fernando shot back at her with his usual wit, “The serpent was evil and evil things need to be dealt with!” He swung his toy sword around and Lola Anding sighed. One day he would poke an eye out with that thing. His single mindedness was a sight to see. She wondered how long he would view the world in black and white. She shook her head, “The child deserves his innocence,” she whispered to herself.

She tucked them all in and gave them a kiss goodnight. They were off to fight their own serpents in their dreams, or in Faye’s case make friends with them.

Lola Anding smiled. She remembered the first time she heard this story from her own grandfather. In those days entertainment was hard to come by and she looked forward to these stories with an open mind.

And what did she get from it?

“In life you will fight serpents, and you will have to overcome them with your gifts. Use what you were given to face your challenges and you will be rewarded.”

She took those words to heart and never forgot what she fought for.

And was it worth it?

She looked at her sleeping grandchildren and gave a slight nod.

“Of course it was,” she whispered to herself.

*Tagalog is an Austronesian language spoken as a first language by a quarter of the population of the Philippines and as a second language by the majority. Its standardized form, officially named Filipino, is the national language of the Philippines, and is one of two official languages alongside English.

Written by Karl Gaverza

Translation by Dana Garcia
Copyright © Karl Gaverza

Translation Copyright © Dana Garcia

Adapted from The Legend of Mt. Canlaon in Negros Oriental and Siquijor Island Legends, Beliefs and Folkways. Aldecoa-Rodriguez. 2000.

Kan’s Serpent Illustration by Paul Medalla
FB: Apolonio Draws
IG: instagram.com/apolonio.draws/
artstation: artstation.com/zerobreed

*Note this story is in Tagalog

“Dito!”

Pasilakbong binitag ni Miguel ang kanyang huli, isang malaking isdang maipagmamayabang sa bayan.. Ngunit, hindi ito ang panahon.

Siya ay nagsasagawa ng Panangyatang at hindi maaaring maabala.

“Nono. Inaalay ko sa’yo ang aking unang huli; nawa ay tanggapin.”

Naghihintay si Miguel. Ginagalang niya ang kinaugaliang saksihang matanggap ang alay.

Isang oras ang lumipas saka niya nakita ang pag ahon ng kahon. Tinatanggap ang alay at magbabalik na ito sa ilalim upang lumamon.

Hindi alam ni Miguel kung kalian nagsimula ang gawain. Lagi siyang nagtataka kung bakit tungkuling ialay ng mga mangingisda ang unang huli, gaano man kalaki.

Alam lang niya na tulad ng kaibigan nitong Aswang, ang Buwaya ay kumakain ng tao tuwing gutom na gutom. Subalit, ang takot ay hindi sapat upang ipaliwanag ang Panangyatang.

Ito ay paggalang. Hamak ngunit totoo. May angking bagay ang Buwaya na nagpaparatang ng paggalang kaya marahil “Nono” ang bansag sa Buwaya.

Marahil, tao rin ang Buwaya nuon; isinumpa ng mga Bathala at ngayo’y hangad ang paggalang ng mga nakababata.

Marahil naman, isa itong ligaw na kaluluwang nagdadala ng masaganang ani sa mga nakaaalala pa ng mga katutubong kaugalian.

O marahil ito’y mabangis at naniniil na hayop! uhaw sa dugo at kailangang pakainin bago maghanap ng taong kakainin.

At ano naman ang kahon sa likuran nito? Taguan lang kaya ito ng mga pagkain, o iba pang kababalaghan?

Anuman, ikinasiya nalamang ni Miguel na hindi siya ang nasa kahon.

“Sige po Nono, sa susunod nalang muli.” bulong niya sa ilog..

=—————————————————=

English Version

“This is the spot.”

Miguel reached for his first catch and breathed deep. It was a large fish, something that he would be proud to show to the other fishermen, but pride could wait another day.

He was performing the panangyatang and he would not be disturbed.

“Nono* I present this catch to you. Please accept my offering.”

Miguel waited, he had to respect the tradition by witnessing it finish eating his catch.

An hour passed, then he saw the box. The offering had been accepted and it would be going back to the depths to enjoy its meal.

Miguel didn’t know when the tradition started. He always wondered why fishermen would give up their first catch, no matter how big.

He knew that the buwaya was a friend to the aswang and partook of human flesh when it was starving, but simple fear wasn’t enough to explain the panangyatang.

This was respect, pure and simple. There was something about the buwaya that commanded reverence. He thought to the reason why the buwaya was called ‘grandfather’.

Maybe it was human once, cursed by the gods, and it seeks the respect of its descendants.

Maybe it is a wandering spirit bringing a bountiful catch to those that remember the traditions.

Maybe it is a bloodthirsty beast that needs to be fed before it seeks out human prey.

And what of the box on its back? Does it just keep its victims there, until it is time to feed, or is there something more mysterious at work?

Whatever the answers, Miguel was glad not to be in that box, and even gladder that he was on his way home.

“Goodbye nono, until the next time,” he whispered softly to the river.

=——————————————–=

*Nono = Lolo / Grandfather

*Tagalog is an Austronesian language spoken as a first language by a quarter of the population of the Philippines and as a second language by the majority. Its standardized form, officially named Filipino, is the national language of the Philippines, and is one of two official languages alongside English.

Written by Karl Gaverza
Tagalog translation by Iman Lalo
Copyright © Karl Gaverza
Translation Copyright © Iman Lalo

Inspired by the buwaya description in El Folk-lore Filipino. Isabelo de los Reyes, trans. Dizon and Peralta-Imson. 1994. (Original Spanish Manuscript Printed 1889)

Buwaya Illustration by Kael Molo of Agla – The Graphic Novel

A woman stood by the riverside looking at the water for answers.

She didn’t know why she was back in this place. It had always been her desire to break the shackles of this small barangay and taking a chance in the bigger world, to spread her wings and fly to the sun.

But, like Icarus, she burned.

Now she was living with her family again, though it didn’t feel like home.

The river’s sound soothed her troubled soul. No matter where she went, water would be the first thing that she sought out.

There was the Danube, of course. The taste of his kiss still lingered, even after all these years. But in a moment, it was all washed away. Her heart could never belong to anyone, at least in her mind.

The cold never sat well with her; the tropics had a hold that she could never seem to break. It was worth it though, to see the sun rise and paint the ice with a scarlet brush.

She rubbed her arms and thought back to the blistering heat of the Nile. Her friends warned her that she might catch the fever, but she didn’t listen. The call of the water was too strong for her to fight.

Enlightenment was what she found in the Ganges.

Fear in the rapids of Chilko.

Lifelong friends cruising down the Mississippi.

Wonder at the Naga lights of the Mekong.

And what would she find in the Linothangan? She didn’t know.

She didn’t want to know.

It was late in the afternoon and she chided herself. She had done nothing the whole day. The time could have been spent finding work or doing chores or…. Nothing. That was what her life was now anyway.

She closed her eyes and breathed deep.

When she opened them, she was surprised to find a visitor intruding on her… nothing.

It was a small boy, her hair and clothes dripping on the river rocks.

“Hello,” he said. “Who are you?”

Her soul almost escaped her body. “Don’t do that! You startled me!”

“I’m sorry. I just want someone to play with.”

“Well…”

“Please, miss. I’ve been so lonely here by the river. No one goes here and I’m so alone.”

She stood up and got a better look at the boy. He reminded her of one of her cousins, same age and same energy. This was the type of child that would fight a ‘no’ even in the face of failure.

“What do you want to play?”

“….I know! Here, grab this ball and throw it in the river so I can catch it!”

“Really? You think that’s fun?”

“Pleeeeaaaasseee”

“Okay, okay.”

Her face betrayed a smile, the first since she got back. He was right, this was fun. It almost made her forget about what happened.

She tossed the ball again for the 10^th time and it washed away to the right of the boy. He tried to swim as fast as he could, but suddenly froze as the ball drifted.

“Hey, why aren’t you chasing the ball? Isn’t that the whole game?”

“I can’t go there miss, not in that part of the river.”

“What do you mean?”

“They say it’s dangerous to go there. All the old people forbid it.”

“Well they’re not here are they? Let’s get your ball.”

The boy still didn’t move.

“I went there once miss. It was a long time ago, but I can still remember. There’s something in the river.”
“Do you know what that something was?”

“Maybe it was the dark man.”

“What are you talking about?”

“My lola said that there was a dark man living by the river. He doesn’t want anyone to go to his place.”

She had been around the world a dozen times and was no stranger to tall tales. The boy looked really nervous, but there was strength in numbers.

“Hey, go with me. I’m sure whatever it is it can’t take the both of us.”

Her second smile of the day made the boy nod and take her hand.

“Okay miss. I trust you.”

They walked down the river following the current. The boy had been out of the water for a while but it seemed that he would never stop dripping.

“Just walk next to me okay? I don’t want to get my clothes wet.”

“Alright.”

It was nearing sundown and after a few miscalculated attempts at grabbing the ball, luck finally shined on them. The current stopped, which left the sphere static on the river.

“Well what are you waiting for?” she said. “You’re a pretty good swimmer, the ball’s not that far. You can grab it and go home.”

“I don’t think I should be here miss.”

“Hey, come on, let’s get your ball alright? There’s nothing here.”

“I’ve been here before miss. I can remember.”

“Remember what?”

“It’s going to come here! Please miss run!”

“Wait—–”

At that moment a figure emerged from the water. It had tentacles and reminded her of an octopus. It held the ball and the boy cried out, “The dark man doesn’t like people to come to his place.” He clutched his head and dropped to his knees.

“Let’s go!” she grabbed the boy’s arm but it was as if he was made of stone, nothing could move him.

“I’m sorry! I’m sorry! Please just let me leave!!” The boy cried out even harder, his tears mixed with the moisture dripping to the ground.

“We have to run! It can’t catch us if we go away from the river.”

The boy looked at the woman with despair in his eyes.

“I can’t leave the river. I never could. Not as long as—–”

“As long as what?!” The monster was moving towards them now, she didn’t want to know how long its tentacles could reach.

The boy pointed at the ball.

Her mind was a whirlwind. She should run, there was no way that she could fight the monster. It wasn’t her problem, if the boy didn’t want to follow that was on him. She should think of herself.

Just herself.

Just like then.

The creature was inching closer to the riverbank still holding the ball. In defiance of her instincts, she ran towards it. The monster’s tentacles darted towards her but they only hit empty water.

She spent her life around rivers and with that came a dexterity that surprised even the most experienced of swimmers.

She rounded the creature, trying to confuse it and plunged to the tentacle that had the ball.

At this point she was out of ideas. She could hold her breath for longer than a normal person, but would that be enough time to wring the ball from the monster.

She grabbed the ball and felt a gentle heat surround her.

“I trust you miss.” The boy’s voice echoed in her ears.

A bright flash suffused the ball and tore it away from the tentacle.

With the orb under her elbow she weaved through the water like a dolphin, dodging the monster’s clumsy attempts to catch her.

As soon as she surfaced, she ran as far as she could away from the river.

Her lungs burned and she fell to the ground.

She was awakened with a gentle whisper.
The boy stood in front of her, his form translucent. He smiled and took her hand.
“I knew I could trust you miss.”

She hugged him for what felt like an eternity, until he melted away and the light faded.

The woman returned home, soaked. She asked her lola for a towel to make sure she didn’t drip inside.

As she was drying herself, she asked her lola about the river.

“Oh that place? A long time ago a man went fishing in that part of the river. He never came back, the poor soul. Some say it was a giant beast that got him, but it was probably the current. The river gets violent sometimes and carries them off to who knows where. ‘specially the kids, always playing in the river, we lose one every few years.”

She thanked her lola and went into her room.

What had she found in the Linothangan river?

Peace

Finally

Peace

Written by Karl Gaverza
Copyright © Karl Gaverza

Inspired by the tale ‘The Monster’ in Negros Oriental and Siquijor Island Legends, Beliefs and Folkways. Aldecoa-Rodriguez. 2000.

The Monster of Linothangan River Illustration by Fam Telmo

FB: https://www.facebook.com/famskaartyhan/
Instagram: @famskaartyhan

Long ago, the island of Negros was ruled by a peaceful and kind-hearted king by the name of Laon.

One day heavy rains fell. The river overflowed and as time went on the water became neck-deep. The people went to their king to ask for aid.

Laon called for a meeting. He said that they should build a mound of earth that would overcome any flood. The people shouted, “We have no tools!” and the king waved his handkerchief and a spade and heavy hoe appeared. Still there was discontent. “How can we build this mound without stones?!” and Laon stomped his feet and stones magically appeared.

Together the people built a mound that reached six thousand feet above sea level. It was there that they took refuge until the water went away.

Everything seemed to be alright until one morning a great commotion woke the king from his sleep. A giant serpent with seven heads was approaching the village. Its red eyes and smoking nose frightened the villagers. At night, the snake would breathe fire damaging crops and killing the animals around the village.

It seemed impossible to challenge the serpent until one day a young man named Kan appeared. He told king Laon that he would kill the snake and the king was glad.

Laon said that he would reward Kan with riches and the hand of his beautiful daughter if Kan was successful in ridding the village of the serpent.

Kan was no ordinary man. He knew the languages of the birds and the beasts. And when it came time to fight the serpent he called on them for aid. The beasts bit the serpent’s body and the birds pecked its eyes. They gave Kan enough of an opening and the youth sliced off the serpent’s heads.

With the snake dead, Kan presented the seven heads to king Laon. There he was showered with riches and married the daughter of the king.

When king Laon died Kan became the king of the tribe. The mound that saved the villagers from the flood remains, called Kanlaon in memory of the brave youth and the kind king.

“And there we end our story.”

Loala Anding closed the book and watched her grandchildren fall asleep. Rhai was her favorite, always asking questions. He would probably be a scholar in the future. Lola Anding hoped that she would live to see that.

She reflected on the tale she told the children. The legend of Mount Kanlaon, such a romantic story! A brave youth fighting off giant serpents, a magical king and his village building a mountain, birds and beasts helping to fight off evil, all these things made her grandchildren’s eyes light up with wonder.
She wondered what each child would take from the story.

Rhai, of course, interrupted her a few times and asked her why things were the way they were. “Why did the king have magic?” “Why was Kan able to speak the languages of the animals?” “How long did the people take to build the mound?”
His inquisitive spirit was so evident in his questions, she wondered if he would fill in the blanks with his own imagination.

Now Faye was afraid of the story, she clutched her stuffed crocodile tight while Lola acted out the part of cutting up the serpent’s heads. Poor girl, she just wanted everyone to be friends. She asked, “If Kan could speak to animals, why couldn’t he speak to the serpent to go and leave everyone alone?”

Fernando shot back at her with his usual wit, “The serpent was evil and evil things need to be dealt with!” He swung his toy sword around and Lola Anding sighed. One day he would poke an eye out with that thing. His single mindedness was a sight to see. She wondered how long he would view the world in black and white. She shook her head, “The child deserves his innocence,” she whispered to herself.

She tucked them all in and gave them a kiss goodnight. They were off to fight their own serpents in their dreams, or in Faye’s case make friends with them.

Lola Anding smiled. She remembered the first time she heard this story from her own grandfather. In those days entertainment was hard to come by and she looked forward to these stories with an open mind.

And what did she get from it?

“In life you will fight serpents, and you will have to overcome them with your gifts. Use what you were given to face your challenges and you will be rewarded.”

She took those words to heart and never forgot what she fought for.

And was it worth it?

She looked at her sleeping grandchildren and gave a slight nod.

“Of course it was,” she whispered to herself.

Written by Karl Gaverza
Copyright © Karl Gaverza

Adapted from The Legend of Mt. Canlaon in Negros Oriental and Siquijor Island Legends, Beliefs and Folkways. Aldecoa-Rodriguez. 2000.

Kan’s Serpent Illustration by Paul Medalla
FB: Apolonio Draws
IG: instagram.com/apolonio.draws/
artstation: artstation.com/zerobreed

Case # KGMJ4852

The children went missing July 17, 1961 at about 1pm. Rangers searched the Orang National Park for hours before they discovered what had happened to them.

It was supposed to be a routine field trip, a bunch of grade schoolers and their teachers going through a park and making papers about it after. The children were lead by 3 chaperons.

The first body was of one of the teachers, she looked like she had died from strangulation. The cause was unknown, but there was evidence of violent compression on the neck as well as presence of bruising. It seemed that death was within minutes with no disfiguring physical findings. Strands of soft hair were found on the victims neck, mirroring later findings.

The rest of the victims were found all in the same place, a rainbow eucalyptus grove. Each victim had the same marks as the first body and all showing signs of strangulation, with the presence of the hair on their necks. The child victims show fractures and bruising that were found to be postmortem. Autopsy showed the times of death of all the victims were within minutes of each other.

In total there were 17 victims. 9 boys, 5 girls and 3 female teachers.

The park was put on lockdown and all exiting vehicles were searched but nothing was ever found that would match the presumed murder weapon. No hairs that matched the ones found were present on any of the other park visitors.

The case remains unsolved to this day.

————————–————————–———————

Written by Karl Gaverza
Copyright © Karl Gaverza

Story inspired by Ikugan entry in Creatures of Philippine Lower Mythology. Ramos. 1971.

Ikugan Illustration by Leandro Geniston from Aklat ng mga Anito
FB: That Guy With A Pen

A Failed Expedition Part 1

Fresh tracks, broken shrubs, blood. It’s been through here.

Two months since we started the expedition. Two months and nothing but false leads, empty forests and aimless treks, but now we have the chance to catch it. A new large mammal species, the first of its kind discovered this century, we’ll all be famous.

A team of 3 trying to find this thing seems crazy, but it’s all our funding could get us and I’m not complaining, Johann’s good at surveys and Manuel knows the area pretty well so we’ve been in good shape.

“Maybe we should try the areas around the coast, it might be by the seaside.” I hear Manuel say from a distance.

“I don’t know about that, my grade in Marine Science was always below C-Level.” Johann says another one of his terrible puns, but it helps clear the boredom of another day of tracking so I let it pass.

I look around and survey the destruction the thing left in its path and it just doesn’t make sense. It looks like an herbivore, just like a normal cow, but its behavior is almost predatory. Small deer were crushed by large teeth and what almost looks like tusks. Maybe the locals were mistaken and this may be a kind of aggressive elephant… that may get me a lot of magazine covers. I shrug off my excitement and remind myself not to count my chickens before they hatch. I need to be patient.

“AHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHGH” I hear Johann’s scream from behind me followed by the thumping of hooves.

No. This isn’t right. How could we not have heard it. The thing smashes Johann into a tree and breaks him in half before chewing on his arm. I can see it now, in full flesh. Hairy, rough skin, giant fangs that are like tusks, I can’t tell if it’s bovine or something else. But it’s definitely a meat eater. And hostile.

I slowly move away, trying not to alarm the animal with fast movement, but I stop dead in my tracks. The thing calmly dropped my friend’s arm and walked towards me, calmly. It looked me in the eye and I swear its eyes weren’t like anything I’ve ever seen an animal possess. It was almost human. The thing looked me over and it was almost like it was smiling at me.

Manuel fired a few rounds from his shotgun and it scared the beast away, but I was still shaken. A lecture hall can never prepare you for that kind of savagery. He rushes to my side and tries to see if I’m okay, but I don’t think I can be.

“We need to leave before it comes back.” My voice is shaking and it’s the only thing I can manage to say.

“It’s not going to come back, you’re just in shock.” Manuel tries to reassure me.

“You don’t understand.” My voice is trembling now, it’s hard to me to form the words, but he needs to be warned.

“I think it’s hunting us.”

————————–————————–———————–

Written by Karl Gaverza
Copyright © Karl Gaverza

Story inspired by the Mantahungal entry in Creatures of Philippine Lower Mythology. Ramos. 1971.

Mantahungal illustration by Leandro Geniston fromAklat ng mga Anito
FB: That Guy With A Pen